Library

Plagiarism 101

What is plagiarism anyway?

According to the Hodges University Academic Honesty Policy, plagiarism is defined as "any attempt to convey another’s work as one’s own original thought. It is the use of another person’s or organization’s words or concepts without giving the appropriate credit to that person or organization." It can be intentional or accidental, but plagiarism is always a serious offense. Some examples of plagiarism include:

Using someone else's words without giving them credit

Paraphrasing without giving the original author credit

Using media (video/images/sound/etc) without crediting the creator

Purchasing or using someone else's paper and submitting it as your own

Submitting a paper you wrote for another class

Having someone rewrite part of your paper and submitting it as your own

Using an incorrect or incomplete citation

What can happen if I plagiarize?

Hodges takes plagiarism very seriously. Students who plagiarize are subject to academic sanctions that can include a warning, failing the assignment, failing the course, academic probation, mandatory integrity workshops, suspension, or dismissal from the school. This will depend on the severity of plagiarism. Obviously, we don't want any of this to happen, so it's much easier to avoid plagiarizing in the first place!

How can I prevent plagiarism?

It's easy! When you use someone else's ideas, cite the source! For more information how to cite sources in APA, check out our APA guide.

Tools for Prevention

"I found a great quote, but now I can't remember where I got it from!" Keep track of your sources with Zotero, a free research management tool. This easy-to-use software can be used online or downloaded to your computer to organize all of your research in one place. This is also a great tool for group projects!

It's easy to avoid plagiarism when you have plenty of time to write. If you wait until the last minute, it can be tempting to plagiarize and turn in poor work. If you feel your time management skills could use some help, the University of Chicago has put together these simple guidelines for setting study goals.

Plagiarism Across Cultures

Some collectivist cultures view using another's words in a different way than we do in the U.S. These cultures value the work of the group over the individual and view ideas as "shared information." As a result, copying can be considered appropriate or even respectful. In addition to that, attitudes and laws about copyright vary between countries, so what may be unethical to claim as your own here may be perceived as okay somewhere else.

In the U.S., we place value on individual work and have fairly strict views on copyright. Not only is there an ethical obligation to credit an author if you use their ideas, but it is considered respectful to acknowledge them.